raw · articles · ingested 2026-07-18
A Strange, Surreal Vision of Solar-Powered Riots — The Atlantic (2011)
Source: Steve Baer / Zomeworks archive
Alexis C. Madrigal — The Atlantic, November 2011
Written during the Occupy Wall Street protests, Madrigal quotes the full “Sun Riots” passage from Steve Baer’s Sunspots (1975):
That got me thinking about other attempts at outsider protests and a strange piece of fiction by solar pioneer Steve Baer called, “The Sun Riots.” Baer, who has run a successful solar company for decades, imagined a protest in a dystopian future that used the sun as its weapon against authority. I’m not endorsing the violence, but I think everything from the tone to the metaphorical message bears inspection.
The article then quotes the full “Sun Riots” passage from Sunspots (see Sunny days ahead and Sunspots for the full text).
Madrigal closes: “And that’s it. Just that snippet. What a strange mix of metaphorical energy policy statement and protest fiction.”
Image credit in the article: “From Sunspots, by Criss-Cross Art Workshop” — confirming that the Criss-Cross Art Workshop illustrations from the original 1975 book were used.
Significance
- First known appearance of Baer’s solar fiction in major national media
- Written November 2011 during Occupy Wall Street — framing the 1975 fiction as prescient protest literature
- Author Alexis C. Madrigal is a significant technology writer (later host of KQED’s Forum; contributing writer at The Atlantic)
- Baer described as “solar pioneer” who “has run a successful solar company for decades” — outside validation of his standing
Source: Alexis C. Madrigal, “A Strange, Surreal Vision of Solar-Powered Riots,” The Atlantic, November 2011. Fetched from web. URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/11/a-strange-surreal-vision-of-solar-powered-riots/247829/